From autumn-ready dresses to supermodel-approved concealer, these were your most purchased items last month
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September had it all; heat waves, torrential rain and a bevvy of new beauty launches. From an anti-ageing first from Glossier to the arrival of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's skincare and makeup collection Rose Inc, here's what you treated yourselves to this month.
The autumn wardrobe essential: Mango Printed Dress with Balloon Sleeves, £49.99
Is there a better autumn look than a floaty dress paired with chunky boots? We think not. When we shared this floral Mango number in our mailout as one of our top high street picks of September, you bought it in your droves. Perfect for rain or shine, it's an autumn staple in the making. Snap it up before it sells out
The suits-everyone retinol: Glossier Universal Pro-Retinol, £30
Glossier's first-ever retinol landed at the end of August to much excitement from the beauty world. It's made with a plant-based complex of 0.5 per cent retinyl sunflowerate (a mixture of retinol and sunflower seed fatty acids), a new player in the retinol game that is found to be less irritating than traditional retinol, making it suitable for more sensitive skin. Our editors loved the creamy, bouncy texture of this retinol and it quickly made its way into our nighttime routines. We hope everyone who bought it on our recommendation is enjoying it too.
The supermodel-approved makeup: Rose Inc Soft Light Luminous Hydrating Concealer, £23
The end of summer also saw the launch of supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's clean beauty brand Rose Inc , which includes everything from toner to brow gel, but it was this brightening concealer that piqued your interest the most. We don't blame you; available in 20 shades, this blurs imperfections and has skincare ingredients squalane and vitamin E to conditions as it conceals.
The multi-purpose buy: Gucci Éclat De Beauté Effet Lumière Gel Face Gloss, £18
Proving that the wet look isn't just for summer, many of you added this hardworking face gloss to your baskets after reading our piece on how to wear eye gloss . It can be used on your eyes, lips and cheeks for an all-over glowing finish and has a gel texture that makes you look ultra-luminous in that autumn golden-hour light.
The little-known moisturiser: Spectacle Skincare Performance Creme, £76
GTG's editorial director Victoria called this 'beauty sleep in a bottle' thanks to its smooth, primer-like texture that made her skin look like someone had set a lightbulb under it. It's an under-the-radar brand, so you could be forgiven for being reluctant to part with over £70 for it, but many of you did. It's age-proofing, hydrating, calming, protecting and a perfect base for makeup. It's a day and night cream, serum, eye cream and primer in one, that works on sensitive skins too. That's a lot of bang for your buck!
The skincare bible: Great Skin - Secrets the Beauty Industry Doesn't Tell You by Ingeborg Van Lotringen, £9.26
There's not a lot that beauty director Ingeborg Van Lotringen doesn't know about skincare, so when she published the book sharing her wisdom, we were first in the queue to buy a copy. From how to tell if your skincare is worth the money to easy to understand intel on which ingredients go together, Inge covers it all in this book. When we published an extract from it you obviously wanted more from the oracle as many of you added this book to your Amazon hauls.
The pigmentation-buster: Nivea Cellular Luminous 630 Anti-Dark Spot Day Cream Face Moisturiser SPF50, £26.99
With post-summer pigmentation playing on our minds, we wrote an edit of the best new skincare to get rid of dark spots. Of the 11 skincare hits in the edit, from toners to cleansers, this moisturiser form high street hero Nivea was most purchased. It both treats dark spots and provides sun protection, to stop them from cropping up again. Nivea spent ten years researching this, so that explains the higher price point than you'd expect from the brand. It can be used on all skin tones and says that in four weeks you'll see a 33 per cent reduction in dark spots and 20 per cent more even skin.
The cosy dress: Mango Turtle Neck Knit Dress, £35.99
Another fashion hit from our mailout, this snuggly looking dress bridged the gap from WFH wear to office appropriate. We're buying it in all three colours.
The sleep-well oil: Tisserand Aromatherapy Sleep Better Diffuser Oil, £6.61
We're ready to settle down into cosy season and with that in mind, our electric diffuser is firmly switched to 'on', puffing out clouds of calming, soothing scent. From our edit of the best electric diffusers and the oils to buy with them, this essential oil blend was most popular. Tisserand is an expert in aromatherapy (the brand’s pulse point rollerballs are ideal for sending you to sleep) so the pure essential oils are potent and powerful and the bedtime cocktail is ideal for sending you to the land of nod.
The breakout essential: Squish Beauty Flower Power Acne Patches, £18
What's better than a breakout-busting pimple patch ? One that looks like a flower, of course! When we interviewed Squish founder Charli Howard she said these were her favourite product from her brand. They take down spots and look cute, plus they're biodegradable.
The whitening toothpaste: Colgate Max White Ultimate Renewal Toothpaste, £10
Another hit from Charli's edit was this stain-removing toothpaste. “I had people commenting on how white my teeth were after just two uses," Charli told us. We also reviewed a bundle of high-end toothpaste last month, if you're in the market for splashing out on your smile.
The skin-brightener: Beauty Pie Superdrops Brightening Niacinamide 10%, typical price £50, members pay £10.84
Victoria included this in her edit of the best new launches in September , praising it for its skin-barrier building powers. It's a watery texture but has a lasting hydration kick that makes the skin feel supple. It has an ingredient in too which makes your pores look smaller as well as antioxidants. Use the code GTGSENTME to get £10 off an annual membership and first orders.
The French pharmacy peel: SVR Xerial Exfoliating Socks, £18
Last month we took it upon ourselves to rid our feet of all the dead skin, testing out several foot peels to let you know which left our feet the softest. You liked the sound of this one best. They include a cocktail of different ingredients to the other sock peels we tried, including plant-based actives such as rockweed, green tea, ivy, horsetail and clematis extracts. Acid-wise they have just lactic acid, but what they lack in acids, they more than make up for in hydrating ingredients including squalane, castor oil and urea to infuse moisture and soften feet. We hope you found it weirdly satisfying seeing your skin flake off...
The complexion-enhancer: Sculpted by Aimee Tint and Glow Enhancer, £23
Last month saw makeup artist Aimee Connolly take on our seven-minute makeup challenge , using products exclusively from her range, which is quickly becoming cult in the glow-giving stakes. She created a speedy luminous look, using this as her base rather than a foundation, which gives a tinted moisturiser coverage with luminosity through it. GTG's digital writer Melanie is a fan of this too, using it when she wants to feel ultra-glam without being overly made up.
The life-balancing book: A book for life by Jo Bowlby, £12.44
Trinny told us that this book keeps her feeling balanced, explaining that the author Jo Bowlby is the shaman who introduced her to meditation without making it feel too ‘woo woo.' "It helps you get balance in your life," Trinny says. You obviously wanted a slice of the balanced pie, with countless copies of this ordered.
The blue-light SPF: Medik8 Advanced Day Ultimate Protect SPF 50+ , £59
We got to thinking about blue light damage last month, and wondered how much we should be worrying about it. Quite a lot, it turns out. As well as limiting screen time, there are other ways to protect your self from digital-ageing caused by blue light and this is one of them. Launched in July 2021 this SPF comes out of the tube fairly thick, with a slightly yellow tint but quickly melts into the skin and is undetectable, leaving a dewy finish in its wake. There's no surprise it's a little heavier than other SPFs; it offers UVA, UVB and advanced blue light protection too, as well as a pollution shield and infrared light protection too.
MORE GLOSS: All the best September 2021 beauty launches we tried, tested and loved